Miami Dolphins running back Reggie Bush racked up an impressive 172 yards rushing Sunday as his squad defeated the Oakland Raiders 35-13.
During the victory, the Dolphins first home opener win since 2005, Bush carried the ball 26 times and scored two touchdowns to give life to a team seriously hurting after a 30-10 beatdown by the Houston Texans on September 9.
“It feels good,” said Bush, who had a 65-yard touchdown run and also caught three balls for 25 yards in the win, after the game. “I’m not going to lie and say it doesn’t, to hear the fans cheering you on.”
With the win, Miami improved to 1-1, and head coach Joe Philbin earned a sideline Gatorade bath for his first victory with the team.
“It was nothing fancy, nothing magical,” Philbin said. “Our identity right now is we’ve got to run the ball effectively and stop the run.”
In addition to Reggie Bush’s spectacular play, Dolphins rookie quarterback Ryan Tannehill also turned in an impressive performance, going 18-for-30 with 200 passing yards and two touchdowns (one passing, one rushing) in the contest.
Perhaps more impressive is the fact that Tannehill did not throw a single interception against the Raiders after throwing three against the Houston Texans the week before.
“That feeling in the locker room after celebrating with the guys after a big win, that’s what you play for,” Tannehill said after the game. “After five tough weeks of losses and rough locker rooms, we knew we were improving every week. We knew were going to get the wins. But to finally have the win come in our first home game was a lot of fun.”
The Miami Dolphins host AFC East rivals the New York Jets on Sunday, September 23.
Check out highlights from the Dolphins vs. Raiders matchup in the video below:
via ESPN